A special memory from my years doing jail ministry:
I was having Bible study with a group of incarcerated teens when one 16-year-old asked if he could speak with me privately after we finished.
Later he told me he is considering getting a girl pregnant. He wanted my opinion, because he’d already talked with his parents. They both think he is at a good age to become a father.
I asked, “Who is going to support your child?”
He said, “Ohhhh—It’ll all work out.”
I asked him if he was serious about the decision he’d made just 15 minutes earlier, to turn away from sin and to give his life to Jesus Christ.
He said, “Yes! Absolutely!”
I said, “If you are serious about obeying God, then you need to wait until marriage before you start a family.”
His response, “Marriage? But I’m too young to get married!”
I just looked at him.
He said, “Are you saying, you don’t think I should have a kid yet?”
I said, “God’s desire for you NOW, is to grow into a mature man of God, who loves and serves the Lord Jesus. Someday you will want to marry a woman who shares your faith. Your children are to come after your marriage, not before.”
He was quiet for a moment, then said, “OK. I’ll wait.”
- The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. Proverbs 12:15
- Does this boy’s question surprise you? Would you have responded differently?
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